ONS Trailblazes in Cancer Care With New Position Statements and Guidelines

Just before ONS kicked off its Fourth Annual Capitol Hill Days, the ONS Board of Directors met face-to-face in Washington, DC, on September 20, 2019. On the agenda were several discussion topics that support and advance ONS as a leader and trailblazer in cancer care, including position statements that convey the Society’s viewpoint on key issues and guidelines that will set the standard of care for symptom management.

Position Statements

The Board approved revisions and retitling of the “Use of E-Cigarettes and Vaping” position statement. This was also a priority topic that Hill Days attendees shared with their policymakers in September. The updated position statement will be published in the November 2019 issue of the Oncology Nursing Forum.

The Board also approved endorsing the revised American Nurses Association position statement, “The Nurse’s Role When a Patient Requests Medical Aid in Dying.” ONS will continue its current endorsement of the Hospice and Palliative Care Nurses Association position statement, “Guidelines for the Role of the RN and APRN When Hastened Death Is Requested.”

ONS’s draft position statement on ambulatory staffing was also discussed and will be brought to the October Board meeting for approval. (Editor’s note: The November issue of ONS Voice printed before the October meeting, so look for an update in December.)

Guideline Update

Work continues on the transition of ONS’s Putting Evidence Into Practice (PEP) resources to actionable, methodologically rigorous guidelines. Five PEP topics—radiodermatitis, constipation, hot flashes, skin toxicities, and lymphedema—will be published as guidelines by the ONS 45th Annual Congress in May 2020 so they can be disseminated to ONS members first and then to other healthcare professionals.